Wes Myers is the Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at Keeper.ai, an experienced matchmaker, and relationship expert. He is working at Keeper to end human loneliness.

How? 

According to Keeper, by giving everyone the opportunity to start a happy, healthy family. Approaching modern dating challenges through a lens of long term relationship formation rather than casual dating.

Keeper uses

• Technology based matchmaking with human expertise to create meaningful, long-term relationships, boasting a 10% success rate for first dates turning into committed relationships
• Keeper focuses on long term, marriage, and family formation rather than casual based dating
• Positioned as a matchmaking service with the aim of helping individuals find love

Wes has authored several thought provoking articles on the Keeper blog including:

• The Science of Dating Preferences: The Data Behind What People Want
• Why You’re Rejecting Your Soul Mate
• You’re Not A Perfect 10
• Why Do People Ghost on Dating Apps?
• Online Dating Clearly Isn’t Working
• And more

In this conversation, Robert & Wes discuss

0:00 - Introduction

2:58 - Dating Apps >$1B revenue but Singles are Burned Out

7:13 - Low vs. High Information Dating Environment, Mobile Dating UX, Image Construction / Branding in Dating

14:10 - Digital Dating Normalization and Incentive Design

18:31 - Why Doesn't Technology Scale Dating Prospects? Bad Filtering

25:42 - What is Matchmaking? Values Alignment Driven Dating.

32:56 - What is Keeper

37:45 - Universal Objective Factors for Matchmaking, Matchmaking Criteria

45:07 - The Seven Deadly Singles; Why You Don't Want to Fit One of These Archetypes

49:12 - Third Spaces, Community in Dating, Loneliness

56:01 - Keeper and Long Term Partnerships; Maybe People Are Happy Single?; Keeper updates

1:03:09 - If Technology Has Created Certain Problems, How Does Adding More Technology Solve the Issue?

More on Wes

• https://www.instagram.com/realwesmyers/
• https://x.com/realwesmyers

Dr. Wolfgang Palaver is a distinguished scholar in the field of political theology, christian social thought and the philosophy of René Girard. From 2002 to 2023 Dr. Palaver was professor of Christian Social Thought in the Institute of Systematic Theology at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. His research focuses on the intersection of religion, politics, and violence, drawing extensively from Rene Girard's Mimetic Theory. He has authored a number of books and articles, exploring themes such as sacrifice, modernity, and mimetic desire. In specific, Dr. Palaver is the author of the comprehensive synthesis of Girardian Mimetic Theory entitled "Rene Girard’s Mimetic Theory". Dr. Palaver currently teaches part time at the University of Brixen-Bressanone, Italy.

Dr. Palaver's work provides critical insights into the underlying mechanisms of human conflict and the potential for transcendence through understanding mimetic desires.

In this conversation, Dr. Palaver & Robert discuss:

0:00 - Introduction

2:30 - Three pillars of mimetic theory

5:07 - Where does violence come from?

7:51 - Imitation and mimeses

12:45 - Reasons we imitate the desires of others, Sartre's Being & Non-being

14:21 - The resolution to mimetic crisis, origin of the scapegoat

15:59 - The scapegoat becomes the sacred

18:49 - Primitive cultures, mimesis, Levi Strauss

25:33 - Modernity redirecting mimetic desire, convergence, fashion and mimetics

29:55 - Sacralization process, static, dynamic religious & mysticism

38:16 - Sacred & mythology, timeless cultures, ritual rites

43:31 - Conversion, biblical revelations as a revelation of scapegoating

49:50 - How does Conversion happen?

57:10 - Girard & Conversion found in the great writers

1:03:46 - Solving Sartre's problem of being through imitation ?

1:08:51 - The problem of desire and mimetics - bridging mimetic theory and world religions?

1:15:35 - Meditation upon and dissolution of the self

More about Dr. Palaver

https://uibk.academia.edu/WolfgangPalaver

https://twitter.com/wolfgangpalaver

Danielle Strachman is the co-founder and GP of 1517 Fund, a premiere pre-seed venture capital firm backing ambitious young high-school, college and makers working on big ideas. With a tag line of “Backing dropouts working on hard problems & sci-fi scientists at the earliest stages of their companies”, Danielle has been working on 1517 for 10+ years backing bright young minds to pursue great work.

Prior to 1517, she worked as the early program director for the Thiel Fellowship, a grant based program offering $100K to high potential students to "stop-out" of college for a year and pursue an idea on their own. Some of the fellows of the program include:

• Dylan Field co-founder of Figma
• Austin Russel CEO of Luminar Technologies
• Vitalik Buterin - co-founder of the Ethereum blockchain
• Laura Deming co-founder of the longevity fund
• & more

Danielle is also the co-founder and board member of the K-8 charter school Innovations Academy.

As described in depth in her co-founder Michael Gibson’s book “Paper Belt On Fire”, the 1517 co-founders have found themselves in a host of situations like catching power naps under desks at hackathons to hosting youth filled meetups raging with conversations of interplanetary physics to garage bioscience.

In this episode Robert & Danielle explore:

0:00 - Introduction

3:20 - Danielle's Start at a Conscious Community

10:11 - Alternative Education Philosophies at Innovation's Academy

16:14 - How Impact Drove Danielle to the Thiel Fellowship

18:45 - Traits for Identifying, Multiple Intelligence, Developing New Lexicons for High Potential Makers

29:01 - LLMs and AI as Collective Consciousness

34:11 - Maintaining Imagination in AI Age

40:03 - Allocating Resources and Building Alternative Fellowships

51:00 - Community building + why 1517 is the "Harry Potter sorting hat" for makers

54:17 - Hard Learnings: How Danielle & Michael Got "Kramed Down" In Their Deal on Loom

1:06:37 - Flux Capacitor Program: Developing Deep Technology & Science Companies

1:16:01 - A Court Case in 1970s May Have Driven the Necessity of a College Degree?

1:22:17 - Accelerating vs. Stagnation and Finding Hope

More on Danielle & 1517:

• 1517 Fund: https://www.1517fund.com/
• Danielle on Twitter https://twitter.com/DStrachman
• Medici Project: https://www.1517fund.com/medici-project

MJ Dorian is an artist, educator, podcast creator, and award winning composer. He is the host of the podcast production Creative Codex, a compendium and compass to the arcane world of creativity exploring the questions of what is creative genius and where does it come from? Through his original research, composure and production, MJ explores artists such as Alexander McQueen, William Blake, Da Vinci, and more through the lens of Jungian Analytical psychology to unearth the source of creative vision and how it can be nurtured. MJ's talent in straddling the often nebulous world of creativity in a rational way without losing sight of the transcendental and mystic quality of art and creativity has allowed him to grow the show over the past 7 years in addition to his loyal audience.

In this episode, MJ & Robert explore:

0:00 - Introduction

3:11 - What Is Creative Codex Really About?

5:35 - Art As Intrinsic Self Expression or Super Natural Inspiration?

10:57 - The Affinity To Archetypal Identities

15:11 - Carl Jung's Analytical Psychology As A Fantasy or Fan Fiction Franchise - Better Tools?

20:00 - Jung's Caution In Subjective Gluttony

26:57 - Untethering and The Positive Side Of Madness

33:05 - Most Surprising Figures from Creative Codex?

36:57 - Art as a Form of Possession and Exorcism

41:56 - Importance of Craft, Emulation and Apprenticeship in Art forms

45:45 - Taking On Ambitious Projects

51:21 - Stopping Perfectionism in Art: Tuning Into The Creative Vision

56:01 - Quality and Creative Codex

59:15 - External vs. Intrinsic Motivation and Validation in Creative Works

1:04:38 - Rene Girard's Theory on Transforming Personal Vanity into Universal Truth

More on MJ Dorian:

• Creative Codex
• MJ on Instagram
• MJ Dorian's Website
• In Depth Creative Codex Patreon Community

Dr. Shannon Lodoen is an academic in the field of rhetoric studying the relationship between modern society and the smartphone. Obtaining her doctorate from the University of Waterloo, she has continued to explore the dilemmas present at the intersection of society, technology (in the form factor of the smartphone), and the individual. Using her lens of rhetoric as a framework, Shannon seeks to understand why the world is the way it is by analyzing the role of persuasion in technology.

In this episode Robert & Shannon explore Shannon's ideas around the smartphone, the characteristics that make it unlike any tool or device in history, and what challenges the world is facing moving forward.

OUTLINE

0:00 - Introduction

5:01 - What is Rhetoric?

10:34 - Why Does Rhetoric Exist (Why Would We Want To Understand It)?

15:55 - Overt vs. Covert Persuasion in Design

20:34 - Design Principles & Affordance, Smart Phone Design Compared to Cell Phones

22:18 - Analog vs. Digital World: Media Convergence, Digital Reality & Loss of Constraints

26:30 - Why Writing Changes Depending On Medium: Long form or by Computer

29:25 - Context & Information Loss, Flattening of People - Emoticons To Win the Peace Prize?

40:01 - Younger Generations Losing Opportunity to Trust Themselves? Lonely but not alone

45:12 - Entertainment vs. Tools in Computing, Attention Economy, Homogenization

59:01 - Convergence and Loss of Awareness of Consequences?

1:07:03 - Problems with Design to Make Everything "Smooth"?

1:16:11 - Dragging Feet Against Change & Cultural Adaptions

1:28:08 - What Can We Do? What Does The Future Hold - Optimism vs. Pessimistic Outcomes?

MORE ABOUT SHANNON

https://twitter.com/shannon_lodoen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-lodoen-ab511310a

Subscribe on your favourite platform Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & robertxworld.com

Freddy Gervasi is a former athlete turned entrepreneur, musician and now founder of the wellness & personal growth concert experience Soul Expansion. Through an 8 piece band offering original music, in a multi-sensory environment using breathwork and meditation, participants experience a community of mutual interest in expanding their sense of self. Freddy was inspired to bring his offering to light after a turbulent entrepreneurial journey steeped in the difficulties of fitting in and finding his way. Soul Expansion aims to recalibrate participant nervous systems and regulate emotional states using ancient practices in a non-judgement communal setting focused on self-development.

In this episode, Robert & Freddy trace his origin story, and explore modern dilemmas facing men & women interested in living a more authentic, present, and full life, including:

0:00 - Introduction to Soul Expansion

7:48 - Freddy's Discovery of The Concert Experience

12:05 - Joining Othership

18:07 - Developing Intuition as an Entrepreneur

26:00 - Balancing Our Nervous System

31:56 - The Soul Expansion Experience

43:01 - The Allure of Party Scenes & Freddy's Growth as a Musician

54:02 - Discovering Freddy's Authentic Path

1:00:03 - The Challenge of Being Open To Change, Community

1:07:22 - Personal Agency & The "Big Why"

1:14:19 - Adaptation and Growing as an Entrepreneur

You can connect with Freddy at:

https://www.soulexpansion.co/

https://instagram.com/freddysounds

Subscribe to Robert meets World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & More or directly at robertxworld.com

Adam Lewis is a growth strategist, entrepreneur and community builder passionate about empowering people, brands, and movements. Previously leading growth & partnerships at Othership (@othership), Adam took his fixation on wellness, integration and community to co-found MANCAMP (@mancamp.ca), a men's community and festival to explore his own sense and growth of masculinity. 

In this episode, Adam and I converse on a variety of topics including:

- Adam's story as an entrepreneur and how it lead him to the "dark night of the soul"

- Holistic wellness & building intuition through your personal myth

- Community, mental health, and existentialism in modernity

- Masculinity, mythology, philosophy and archetypes

- & more!

MORE ON ADAM

https://instagram.com/adamlewis5

https://adamlewis.ca

https://mancamp.ca/

https://thestashto.beehiiv.com/

https://othership.us

Subscribe to Robert meets World on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & More or directly at robertxworld.com

#wellness #masculinity #mentalhealth #intuition #community #mythology #archetypes

Ian Timotheos-Pilon is a 10+ year product & experience designer, and author of Cultivating Clarity: The art of discerning what matters using contextual intelligence. In this episode, Robert & Ian catch up to discuss AI, AI Agents, Intelligence, the future and more.

0:00 - Intro

11:59 - Concerns of AI & Atrophy

16:13 - Physical Assembly

25:01 - What does AI mean to the human experience?

30:00 - Seeking for Other Forms of Intelligence

33:22 - What is Intelligence?

40:19 - Problems of Security

48:00 - Origins of the Book

55:01 - Jobs to Be Done Theory

1:02:01 - People Fight About The Wrong Things In Software

1:14:03 - Using AI to Write Books

1:20:11 - Intro to AI Agentic Payments & Hackathon

1:42:01 - Closing Thoughts

SHOW NOTES

Ian: https://x.com/IanTimotheos

Cultivating Clarity: https://www.amazon.com/Cultivating-Clarity-discerning-contextual-intelligence-ebook/dp/B0CTHQKYKY?crid=UULK4YRL89L3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.SNeMVnrRAojBuES5CEpMm157ckakveoWVd20nRkgp2Y.DjRyQVuvFD1VBDYQOy8CtTQBIM8vAM7jbuhmnSL4kGM&dib_tag=se&keywords=cultivating+clarity&qid=1741399515&sprefix=cultivating+clarity+%2Caps%2C86



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INSIGHTS

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PODCAST INFO

From the metaphysical to the practical, join me as we explore the modern world and our place in it.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3iU7NttcWzdXo1Xye80nN0?si=70b5fd40e5f346e9

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcmVol85owTFezdX_Rewlpsq-qdBg2gmt

Udara Jayawardena is a serial entrepreneur and founder of UNMS Technologies a multi-disciplinary practice producing software, media and art. Previously selling his companies Tidl/Alchemy & Clew, he is now working to improve research and individual experience with his ventures at UNMS.

In this conversation we cover:

• Why Udara moved from Sri Lanka when he was 18
• The importance of physical assembly and entrepreneurial places
• Technological optimism with AI and UNMS
• Design thinking and the role of opinions in design
• Existential dilemmas in human connection and lonliness.

Subscribe on your favourite podcast provider, this is going to be a ride.

Subscribe to my writing at: robertxworld.com